Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy tops UK box office with £2.8m opening

The film adaptation of John le Carré’s espionage novel Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy has topped the UK box office charts, taking £2.8million in its opening weekend.

Gary Oldman stars as George Smiley in the film version of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

The movie, which stars Gary Oldman , Colin Firth , Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch, now boasts the third biggest three-day September opening on record after taking £2.805million from 382 sites across the UK and Ireland.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy follows retired spy George Smiley, who is recalled to MI6 to uncover a mole within the secret service.

Smiley had been memorably played by Alec Guinness in the 1970s television series, but Oldman’s portrayal of the MI6 agent has been highly praised by critics and le Carré himself has also commended the new interpretation.

The author said: ‘The film, through my very personal prism, is a triumph. And if people write to me and say, “How could you let this happen to poor Alec Guinness,” I shall reply that, if “poor Alec” had witnessed Oldman’s performance, he would have been the first to give it a standing ovation.’

The success of the new adaptation was good news for distributor Studio Canal, delivering the UK arm of the company its biggest ever three-day opening figure.

Olivier Courson, chairman and CEO of Studio Canal, said: ‘I am thrilled that Tinker Tailor has received such a great reception from cinema-goers and reviewers this weekend.

‘At Studio Canal, we are all very proud to have been a part of this film which has brought together the best of European cinema from producers, director, literature, cast and crew.’